On 9/20/2005 Doug Long found another butterfly (skipper actually) in the state for the first time. This time is was a Hermit (Grais stigmaticus) which he found near Holbrook in Furnas County. While certainly not the most colorful “butterfly” in Nebraska (many people would have mistaken it for a moth) Doug alertly noticed the yellow coloration on the bottom of the head and thorax. The Hermit is a tropical species, occasionally straying into the United States. Doug’s Nebraska specimen is the northern-most in the continent (there are two records from Kansas, one from Oklahoma and a dozen or so from Texas). After Doug’s passing the specimen was donated to the Henry Doorly Zoo by his wife.
A quick note on separating butterflies, skippers and moths. While there are other differences a check of the antennae will quickly differentiate the three. Butterflies have “clubbed” antennae (a “club” at the terminus), skippers, while their antennae may be thickened at the end, lack a club and are “hooked” instead (see above). Moth antennae are neither of the above. Their antennae may take various shapes (including threadlike or hairy).
Hermit Skipper Grais stigmaticus (Mabille, 1883) | Butterflies and Moths of North America